I wrote a letter in 1996 — and it changed my life

Twenty-one years ago, I drove 2000 miles across the US in my dad’s Buick LeSabre to move to Los Angeles and start an internship at Days of Our Lives.

And it all started with a letter.

Rewind to 1996

In 1996, I was a sophomore at DePauw University, a small liberal arts school in Indiana, studying for a career in law or journalism. I worked a few hours a week for the Admissions Office, giving campus tours to prospective students.

It was the Friday before Thanksgiving when I turned up for that day’s tour and met Joseph, a high school senior from Ohio. He was escorted by his grandfather Bill, who it turned out was a DePauw alumnus.

I recognized Bill Hayes instantly — he was an actor who, among other credits, had starred on the TV soap opera Days of Our Lives for decades. Days was the most popular soap opera on college campuses at that time, and one I had watched regularly for years.

I admitted to Mr. Hayes that I recognized him, but said it matter-of-factly, like it wasn’t a big deal. (In truth, it was a deal! I had watched this man on TV for a decade! I named my Cabbage Patch Kid ‘Hope’ after his TV daughter! I couldn’t believe this was happening!).

I walked them around the campus, and when we entered the Media Center, I did my spiel on what made DePauw unique — our Winter Term and study abroad opportunities, our internships, our Honors programs.

“Are you in any of the Honors programs?” Bill asked me.

“Yes, I’m in the Media Fellows Honors program, so I’ll be doing a semester-long internship in the media next year,” I said.

“Have you ever thought of coming to Days?” he asked me.

My eyes widened. Living in California was a dream of mine (clearly solidified after a family vacation dominated by Disneyland and other theme parks when I was 8 years old). But I had no connections in television or in California. At that point, I was hoping I could use our school’s contacts to get a job in TV news in New York, or maybe try to combine my internship with a semester abroad in London. I had not imagined the possibility of going to Los Angeles — but the thought of it was more exciting to me than anything else.

“I hadn’t,” I told him, “but I’d love to.”

I continued the tour, answering questions and then wishing Joseph well in his college search. As I hurried to my 10 o’clock class (which I was now 20 minutes late for!) I wondered if working at Days was actually a possibility.

There wasn’t much emailing or internet searching at that time (wow, I feel old writing that), and we hadn’t exchanged contact details at the end of the tour. I wondered if Mr. Hayes was just being polite, but if I had even the slightest chance of making this happen, I didn’t want to miss it.

Later that day, I found the number for the Alumni Office (in a printed directory, no less) and called them up to ask if they had an address on file for Mr. Hayes. I don’t think they received many calls like this, as the woman I spoke to was certainly curious about my motives.

“If his address is published in the directory, then we can disclose it to you,” she told me.

Luckily for me, it was.

I sat down and wrote Mr. Hayes a letter, telling him that I enjoyed meeting him and Joseph, and how much I was interested in pursuing an internship at Days.

Some of my friends questioned (and doubted) that this would go anywhere. Most thought he was probably just being polite, and that I shouldn’t get my hopes up.

But as I put that letter in the mailbox, I remember thinking if nothing else happened, I was only out 32 cents*.

“Hi Beth, this is Janet”

When I returned from Thanksgiving break, I received a call on the house phone at my sorority. I had a direct phone line in my room (it would be 4 more years before I owned a cell phone), so it was rare to get a call on the house phone.

I walked down the hall to pick up the phone, and was surprised with what I heard on the other end.

“Hi Beth, this is Janet Rider from Days of Our Lives.”

I knew that name. I had seen it running on top of the hourglass in the end credits of Days! I looked down the hall, thinking this was an elaborate joke by my friends. But Janet continued talking.

“Bill Hayes spoke to me about you, and we’d love to have you come out to join us at Days.”

It turned out it wasn’t a joke — and the recommendation from Mr. Hayes opened the door to an exciting adventure in California.

The power of the pen

I will forever be grateful to Bill and Janet for the incredible opportunity they gave me. I learned so much from that internship and met wonderful people who are still in my life today. I think of that experience with such fondness, all these years later.

So, on this day, National Handwriting Day (yes, it’s a real thing!), remember how mighty the pen can be — and how much impact a letter can have.

Send a letter and thank someone who’s had an impact on your life, or tell someone you miss them. Stamp prices may be going up, but it’s still a bargain!

And thank you Mr. Hayes, for reading my letter, and thank you, Janet, for being a wonderful boss. You made my dream come true.

*A stamp cost 32 cents in 1996

Originally published at https://www.beth-collier.com on July 3, 2019.